Motive-power device



May 14, 1929.

J. F. LEAHY MOTIVE POWER DEVICE Filed June 29, 1927 R m m A J Patented May 14, 1929.

JAMES'F. LEAHY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

MOTIVE-POWER DEVICE. l

2 Application filed .n 29,

' This invention relates in a general way to motive power devices for convertingreci'pro catory motion into rotary motion and ha-sfor its primary object toprovide an improved construction and arrangement of parts in a" mechanical movement suitable for embodiment in fluid pressure engines or for. use with any power-driven part or parts for transmit ting power thereto;

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved construction for fluidpressure engines according towhichsuch engines may be economically constructed and operated; Toward the" attainment of this object and in its adaptation to' an internal combustion motormy invention contemplates a fiuidpressure engine in which very lean gase ous mixtures maybe used and in' which no cooling system is required; wherein thedegree of compression imparted to the gaseous mixtures in the cylinder may be regulated in.

dependently of the speed of the engine; whereby the fuel-intake and scavenging operations may be carried on under a sustained substantially constant suction; and wherein the. use of -valve-operating cam. mechanism may be avoided. H c a One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved system for con-' trolling the operation of a fluid-pressure engine embodying a r'eciprocatory piston and a power-transmitting rod rotatably connected thereto under the control of said system.

Another object of the invention'is toprovide an improved light-weight construction for automobiles whereby a high mileage rate may be secured with a low consumption of fuel. Other and furtherobjects will appearin the specification and be pointed out in the appended claims reference being had'to the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention in an adaptationto an automobile engine. In the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagrammatic verticalaxial section of an automobileengineconstructed in accordance with the principles of my invention. parts being shown elevation;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure1.

, Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectionon the line 3-3 of Figure 1.; q 7 e T; i I According to the' embodiment of my invention shown on the drawings,alpedcstal 1 supports a cylinder 2 forthe internal combus-v tion of motive power fluids, said cylinder be.-

1927. s m No 202,320.

ing provided with an ignition device 3 andan air inlet which, if desired, may be utilized for starting the engine by theintroductio'n ofa supply of compressed air- Preferably, however, I employ the auxiliary start; ing device to be hereinafter] described. 'A

V carburetor 5 with a butterfly valve 6 is shown diagrammatically in communication with the interior of cylinder 2 through a port-opening 7. In the opposite'fwall of said cylinder and displaced axially with respect to the port opening 7, is a port-opening 8 which leads to a housing 8 'containinga, fan chamber v9, within which operates a fan 10 driven by an electric motor 11. The fan 10 is thusada'pted to create a suction throughjthe port-opening 8 and to discharge thru openings 8 in the rear wall of said housing. An inlet 12 is suit-e, ably arranged to supply air to the interior of cylinder 2 for scavenging said cylinder at the end of the piston stroke, said inlet also operating to break the'suction on thecarburetor until the piston passes the air inlet on its re; turnstroke during which the gaseous miX ture is compressed. Reciprocably mounted in the cylinder 2 is a, piston 13 within which one end oitanendWise-movable rod 14 islro tatably mounted by means of ball bearings 15. As shown inFigures '1 and 3,-therod 14 is provided with helical ribs 16 which oper-s ate in helicalguide-ways 17 formedin the hub 18o)? a fly-wheel 19, said fly-wheel being supported by ball bearings 20 mounted' in axially spaced standards 21, 22. Thestand ards 21, 22 are presented upwardly from a common baseplate 23; The forwardend of helical rod 14 carries a .cross-head block 24,

said cross-head block being-provided with two=-pa1rs oi opposltelypresentedjournal pins I 25. .Journaled upon said pins 25 are rollers 26 which operate between angular guide rails 27 which constitute a cross-head guide mounted on'one end of arotary shaft 28. [a By means fr'ies' a bevelpinion 32 meshing with a bevelv gear 33, keyed to the lowerend of a short shaft 34, said shaft 34 being rotatably mounted bearing block 35fcarried' by pedestal 31. Keyed to theupper end of shaft 34 is a bevel gear 36 which meshes with a large bevel-gear 37 secured to the lateral face of a fly wheel 38, said fly wheel being rotatablymounted on the rotary shaft 28 by means of 'ballbean ings 39. Bolted to the other face of flywheel 38 is the circular flange 10, ot a power drum 4-1, the other end of said power drum being provided with a reduced portion which is journaled at 42 within the standard 21 and rotatably supported by a sleeve portion 2'? of the cross head guide by means of ball beau Power drum may be adapted as the support for a power-transmitting device such for example, as a pulley, or it may be made to serve as the mount for an electric generator armature.

A suitable starting device may be provided in the form of a self-starting motor std pro vided with an armature shaft 4:5 which carries atits outer end a spur pinionfiG, said fly wheel 19, with the result that the helical rod 14 is operated by its helical connection with hub 18 to move the piston 13 toward the right. A succeeding explosion within cylin der 2 imparts a movement to piston 13 toward the left under the expansion of the motive power mixture contained in 'sai'gl cylinder, Duringthis endwise movement of helical rod 1% through the hub 18 of fly wheel 19,said rod made to rotate relatively to said fly wheel 19 and under the driving impulse of piston 13, imparts to the fly wheel 29a rotary speed that is greater than that at which fly wheel 19 is rotating at any given instant. At the same time, fly. wheel. 19 suitors a rctardation in its speed until at the end of the piston stroke the momentum of fly wheels 29 and 38 is applied to an acceleration of fly wheel 19 which by reason of this impulse and conse quent retardation in the speed of fly wheels 29 and 38, will by its momentum s1, pass in speed the flywheel 29. The immediate re-' sult of this movement is to return the helical rod 14 to initial position in readiness for a new power-driven stroke under an increased speed of fly wheel 19. 7

It will be understood from the foregoing description that an internal combustion mo t'or constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention will have the following advantages. The fuel intake as well as thecylinder-scavenging operations take place under a sustained substantially constant SllCtlOIlIll'lG to a motor-driven fan operated at substantially constant speed. Ignition takes place under. the action'of a continuously heated grid or hot-point system which requires no timing control such as that employed in connection with a sparkno side thrust upon said piston. v By means of the. construction described above and shownon the drawings, th'e'speed of the motor as well as the degr'eeof compression in thefcylinder may be changed as required 'whlle at the same time the degree of com pression is made independent of the speed of the engine.

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a rotary support provid'ed with a" helical guide-way eatending therethrough, of a rod movable endwise through said rotary support, said rod being provided with a helical rib operating in said helical guide-way, a rotary shaft coaxially arranged with respectto said rod, and a non-rotary reciprocatory connection between said rod and shaft.

2. In a device. of the character described, the combination with-a rotary support provided with a helical guide-way extending therethrough, of a rod movable endwise through said rotary support, said rod being providedwith a helical rib operating in said helical guide-way, a rotary shaft coa-Xially arranged with respectto said rod, a non-rotary reciprocatory connection between said rod andshaft, andm'eans rotatably engaging said'rod for imparting thereto an endwise movement through said helical guideway.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a rotary support provided with a helical guide-way extending therethrough, of a rod movable endwise through said rotary support, said rod being provided with a helical rib operating in sait helical guide-way, a rotary shaft coaxially arranged with respect to said rod, a non-rotary reciprocatory connection between said rod and shaft, a power-transmitting drum, and power connections between said rotar shaft and power-transmitting drum.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with a power-driven rod provided with a helical rib, saidrod being movable endwise, of asupport therefor, said support being provided with a rotary helical guide movablyengaging said helical rib for rotating said rod by means of its endwise movement therethrough, and a rotary shaft coaxial'with said power-driven rod,'said rod tary shaft coaxial with said power-driven rod, said rotary shaft being provided with a cross-head guide presented towards said rotary support, anda cross-head carried by said rod and reciprocable in said cross-head 7 guide.

6. In a device of the'charactcr described, the combination with a power-drlven .rod provided with a helical rib, said rod being movable endwise, of a rotatably-supported guide for said helical rib whereby said rod is rotated during its endwise movement therethrough, a rotary shaft coaxial with said power-driven rod, said rod and rotary shaft being provided With an axially-slidable non-rotary connection, and a reciprocatory piston rotatably connected to said rod.

7. In a motive-power device, the combination with a cylinder, of a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, a rotary fly wheel, a ro'd movable endwise through the hub of said flywheel andhaving threaded connections therewith, a rotary shaft coaxially alined with said rod, a cross-head guide carried by said rotaryshaft, across-head carried by said rod and reciprocable in said cross-head guide, a second fly wheel coaxial with said rotary shaft, and geared connections between said rotary shaft and the second-mentioned fly wheel,

8. In a motive-power device, the combination with a cylinder, of apiston reciprocable in said cylinder, a rotary fly wheel, a rod-movable endwise through the hub of said fly wheel and having threaded connections therewith,

' a rotary shaft coaxially alined with said rod,

a cross-head guide carried by said rotary shaft, a cross-head carried by said rod and reciprocable in said cross-head guide, a second 'fly wheel coaxial with said rotary shaft,

geared connections between said rotary shaft and the second-mentioned fly wheel, and a drum mounted on said second fly wheel and extending, axially around said cross-head guide.

9. Ina motive-power device, the combination with a cylinder, of a piston reciprocable in said cylinder, a rotary fly wheel, a rod movable endwise through the hub of said fly wheel and having threaded connections there with, a rotary shaft coaxially alined with said rod, a cross-head guide carried by said rotary shaft,a cross head carried by said rod and reciprocable in said cross-head guide, a e second fly-wheel coaxial with said rotary shaft, geared connections between said ro-" tary shaft and the second-mentioned fly wheel, a drum mounted on said second fly wheel and extending axially around said cross-head guide, and a bearing support ine,

terposed' between the first-mentioned fly wheel and said'drum for journalling the'free end of said drum. r 10.. In a device of the character described, the combination with a rotary fly wheel, of

' a power-driven rod movable-endwise through the hub of said fly wheel, said rod being provided with helical threaded connections with the hub of said fly wheel, a rotary shaft coaxialwith said ,fly wheel and power-driven rod, relatively-slidable non-rotary connecs tions between said rod and'rotary shaft, and

a second fly wheel connected to and driven by said rotary-shaft.

11. In a device of the character described,

the combination with a rotary flywheel, of a power-driven rod movable endwise through the hub of'said fly wheel, said rod being provided with helicalthreadedconnections with the hub of said fly wheel, a rotary shaft'coaxial with said fly wheel and power-driven rod, said rotary shaft being provided with e a cross-head guide presented towards said fly wheel, a cross-head carried by said rod and reciprocable in. said cross-headguide, a second fly wheel coaxial with said rotary shaft, and geared connections between said rotary shaft and the second-mentioned fly wheel.

'JAMESLF. LEAI-IY. 

